Crew-signed Apollo 11 emblem holds $40,000 estimate at Bonhams

A cloth patch emblem that was flown to the Moon and signed by all three Apollo 11 crew members provides the stunning highlight of Bonhams' Space History Sale on April 8 in New York.

The patch is particularly valued for its provenance from the collection of Michael Collins

The patch was flown on board the first mission to land a man on the Moon. It is expected to sell for $30,000-40,000.

The emblem is signed by Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin, with Collins' additional inscription, "Carried to the moon aboard Apollo XI, July 1969."

It is accompanied by a February 14, 2014 note from Collins that certifies it has been in his collection ever since the famous Moon landing.

In 2010, an emblem signed by Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, as well as capsule communicator and Apollo 16 astronaut, Charles Duke, sold for $10,600 at RR Auction. However, the provenance from Collins, as well as signatures from the entire Apollo 11 crew, makes the current patch a more valuable piece.

Also from the Apollo 11 mission is one of the most extensive sets of notes made while on the Moon, which were created by Buzz Aldrin so that he and Armstrong could leave the lunar surface.

Written with the pen that Aldrin used to engage the power breaker that activated their rocket engine - which had been damaged by the bulky backpacks the astronauts wore - the sheet is valued at $35,000-45,000.